Apparatus for conveying and storing yarn packages or pirns

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for conveying and storing a plurality of wound yarn packages or pirns (spools) which are arranged at spaced intervals on a conveying device of a textile machine. The yarn pirns are moved by the conveyor to a transfer device which transfers them to a transportable storage unit including a plurality of holders for holding wound yarn pirns spaced apart from one another. The transfer device operates cylically. The transfer device grips by means of grippers at least one yarn pirn which has already been conveyed thereto by the conveying device. By moving the grippers, the transfer device conveys the yarn pirn to a holder of the storage unit. Conventional control means are provided for automatically controlling the transfer. The storage unit includes a plurality of rows of holders arranged at different levels with their longitudinal axes inclined with respect to the vertical. The transfer device is constructed in such a way that the grippers are both vertically adjustable and also adapted to be moved obliquely downwards towards the holders of the storage unit in a direction which is inclined with respect to the vertical, this vertically inclined direction of movement corresponding to the inclination of the longitudinal axes of the holders of the storage unit.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,924,762

Igel Dec. 9, 1975 APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND STORING YARN PACKAGES 0R PIRNS [57] ABSTRACT [75] Inventor: Wolfgang Igel Ebersbach, Germany An apparatus for conveying and storing a plurality of 73 Assignee: Zinser Textilniaschinen GmbH, Wound y packages or p which are ranged at spaced intervals on a conveying device of a Ebersbach, Germany textile machine. The yarn pims are moved by the con- [22] Flled: Sept 1974 veyor to a transfer device which transfers them to a [21] A N 507,862 transportable storage unit including a plurality of holders for holding wound yarn pims spaced apart from one another. The transfer device 0 erates c li- [30] Fore'gn Apphcauon Pflonty Data cally. The transfer device grips by means 0 gripper at Sept. 24, 1973 Germany 2347926 least one yarn pim which has already been conveyed thereto by the conveying device. By moving the grip- [52] U-S. Cl. 214/38 B; 57/34 R; 57/53 pets, the transfer device conveys the yam pim to a llll- (II-2 A011) /0 DOlH 13/26 holder of the storage unit. Conventional control Field of means are provided for automatically controlling the 214/38 38 38 transfer. The storage unit includes a plurality of rows 57/34 54 of holders arranged at different levels with their longitudinal axes inclined with respect to the vertical. The

[ References Cited transfer device is constructed in such a way that the UNITED STATES PATENTS grippers are both vertically adjustable and also 2,726,505 12/1955 Bethune etal 57/53 adapted to be moved obliquely downwards towards 3,721,081 3/1973 Ishida 57/34 R the holders of the Storage unit in a direction which is 3,773,191 11/1973 lshida 2l4/l6.1 R inclined h respect to the r i l, hi ver ically in- 3,854,275 12/1974 Bethea et al. 57/34 R clined direction of movement corresponding to the inclination of the longitudinal axes of the holders of the Primary ExaminerRobert J. Spar storage unit.

Assistant Examiner-R. B. Johnson Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Edwin E. Greigg 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures US. Patent Dec. 9, 1975 Sheet 1 of 2 3,924,762

U.S. Patant Dec. 9, 1975 Sheet 2 01 2 3,924,762

13 n HM n n n U U U U U U FIGZ APPARATUS FOR CONVEYING AND STORING YARN PACKAGES OR PIRNS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an apparatus for conveying and storing a plurality of wound yarn packages or pirns (spools) which are arranged at spaced intervals on a conveying device of a textile machine, preferably a spinning machine or twister. The yarn pirns are moved by the conveyor to a transfer device which transfers them to a transportable storage unit including a plurality of holders for holding wound yarn pirns spaced apart from one another. The transfer device operates cyclically and, upon each cycle, grips by means of grippers at least one yarn pirn which has already been conveyed thereto by the conveying device and by moving the grippers it conveys the yarn pirn to a holder of the storage unit. Control means are provided for automatically controlling the transfer according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,054.

In the case of the apparatus known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,054, the storage unit is constructed in such a way that its holders for receiving the wound yarn pirns are adapted to be firstly moved into receiving positions and thereafter into storage positions.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The principal object of the present invention is to provide storage units of simple construction in an apparatus for conveying and storing a plurality of yarn packages or pirns.

In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus of the type described initially is designed in such a way that the storage unit includes a plurality of rows of holders arranged at different levels with their longitudinal axes inclined with respect to the vertical. The transfer device is constructed in such a way that the gripper or grippers is/are both vertically adjustable and also adapted to be moved obliquely downwards towards the holders of the storage unit in a direction which is inclined with respect to the vertical, this vertically inclined direction of movement corresponding to the inclination of the longitudinal axes of the holders of the storage unit.

In the case of this storage unit, the holders may be rigidly mounted, thereby simplifying the construction of the storage unit.

The holders can also be arranged in the manner of one or more frames, the stored wound yarn pirns thus being already in a position in which they can be supplied to machines for further processing, that is, the storage unit forms a transportable framework.

The transfer device can be constructed in any suitable way such that at least one of its grippers is displaced so that it grips a wound yarn pirn which is supplied to the loading station on the conveying device and by displacing the gripper accordingly the yarn pirn is conveyed to a holder of the storage unit and placed on the holder. At this point, the gripper releases the yarn pirn and returns it to its initial position whereupon this process can recommence. The gripper means is adapted to be displaced at different levels in order to load yarn pirns onto successive holders arranged at different levels of the storage unit. Constructionwise this can be achieved in different ways. In a preferred embodiment, the transfer device includes a vertically adjustable carriage on which at least one gripper means is mounted so as to be vertically adjustable and also adjustable in the direction of the holders of the storage unit. It is also adapted for rotation. The carriage need not only be vertically adjustable but it can also be horizontally adjustable, preferably in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axes of the holders of the storage device, the grippers then only being mounted in a vertically adjustable manner with respect to the carriage.

.Other embodiments, involving different kinematic arrangements, are also permissible, for example, the movement of the gripper or grippers can be effected by other drive means, for example, cam gears, lever gears or the like which are vertically adjustable as a whole or the storage unit could be rendered vertically adjustable, for example, it could be disposed on a platform which is vertically adjustable. In the latter case the gripper or grippers provided on the transfer device only need follow the same course of movement.

It is particularly advantageous for the transfer device to include a plurality of grippers disposed adjacent to each other in a row, the number of grippers preferably corresponding to the number of holders in a row of holders of the storage unit. The storage unit advantageously includes six to ten holders per row. Accordingly, the transfer device advantageously also includes six to ten grippers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING An illustrative embodiment of the present invention is represented in the drawing in which;

FIG. 1 is a partially sectioned side view of an apparatus for transporting and storing a plurality of wound yarn packages or pirns constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view of a row of holders in the storage unit according to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a front, sectional view of the transfer device according to FIG. 1 with part of the gripper support removed.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF TI-IE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The apparatus represented in the drawing figures includes a conveying device 10 associated with a textile machine (not shown), a transfer device 11 and, as a storage unit 12, a mobile frame including a plurality of holders 13 rigidly mounted as a double frame. The longitudinal axes of each of the holders 13 is inclined at an angle of substantially with respect to the vertical.

The conveying device 10 has an endless conveyor 14 on which a series of mandrels 15 are disposed. Wound yarn pirns 16, which have been produced on the particular textile machine, can be vertically dropped onto the mandrels l5 and held in an upright position by these mandrels 15. By displacing the conveyor belt 14, the mandrels 15 can be conveyed to the operating zone of the transfer device 11 and the wound yarn pirns 16 are then transferred by the transfer unit 12 in a cyclical manner. In the illustrated embodiment, the transfer is effected in groups of six wound yard pirns.

The transfer device 11 includes a stationary frame having two vertical columns 17 on which a switch box 18 is disposed in the proximity of the floor on which the apparatus is placed. This switch box 18 contains conventional control means controlling the automatic sequence of movements of the apparatus as a whole. A carriage 19, which could also be designated as a slider, is vertically guided on the two columns 17 in tracks 20.

The carriage 19 is adapted to be moved up and down in the direction of the double arrow-headed line A by means of a lifting device which, in this case, is a driven roller chain 21.

The carriage is provided with a frame which has two triangular supports 22 interconnected by a cross beam 23. The triangular supports are each provided with respective three chair wheels 25, 25' for endless, tensioned chains 24, the lower two chain wheels 25' of which are connected by a common shaft 27 and driven by a motor 26. A horizontal gripper support 29 is disposed on the two chains. A shaft 28, on which six grippers 30 and a guide arm 39 with three guide rollers 31, 31' are secured, is pivotably mounted on the horizontal gripper support 29. Each gripper 30 includes a gripper member 32 which is introduced into the inner part of the yarn pirn 16 which is to be gripped and is adapted to automatically engage therein or to be clamped therein. The gripper member 32 is designed in such a way that it prevents the gripped yarn pirn 16 from tilting with respect to the same and thus this yarn pirn is forced to follow all the pivoting movements of the gripper 30. To this end, the gripper member 32 is preferably a suspended mechanical holder such as are used with the frame elements of rotary spinning machines. Suspended holders of this type can also automatically disengage themselves if, for example, the base of a yarn pirn 16 has pressure exerted thereon. The gripper members 32 can also be constructed in other ways, for example,vthey can be adapted to open by pneumatic means or they can grip the yarn pirns from without.

The center to center distance between adjacent grippers 30 corresponds to the center to center distance of the mandrels disposed on the conveyor belt 14 and supporting the wound yarn pirns 16.

The carriage 19 also includes a guide rail 33 for the rollers 31, 31' of a guide arm 39 which consists of an angular metal strip and which, as represented, is arranged in such a way that when the guide arm 39 and thus the grippers 30 are displaced by the movement of the gripper support 29 over the upper deflecting point onto the downward path of motion on the lefthand side, the roller 31' is brought into contact with the flatter inclined region of the guide rail (the relevant position of the roller 31' and the gripper means holding the yard pirn is represented by the dot-dashed line at K in FIG. 1) and as a result the shaft 28 and thus also the grippers 30 with the yarn pirns 16 are, by necessity, rotated during the continued downward movement of the guide arm 39 in the direction of the arrow-headed line B. During their continued movement, the rollers 31 then come into contact with the guide rail 33 and thus the guide arm 39, which is now on the steeper downwardly directed straight region of the lefthand side of the guide rail 33, can be rolled downwardly by moving the chains 24, whereupon the grippers 30 bring the yarn pirns 16 into the position indicated at L in FIG. 1 in alignment with the holders 13 on which they are to be placed. The straight region of the guide rail 33 on the lefthand side runs parallel to the longitudinal axes of the rod-form holder 13 located on the righthand side of the center of the storage unit 12. The grippers 30 are moved towards the holders 13 until the yarn pirns 16 can be placed on the holders 13 of the appropriate row and the gripper members 32 are automatically disengaged by the base of the yarn pirns 16 being pressed against the supports 38 of the holders 13. Extended dashdot lines (FIG. 1) indicate the longitudinal axes of the holders l3.

The storage unit 12 is symmetrically constructed with respect to its longitudinal center plane and it constitutes a mobile carriage for transporting the stored, wound yarn pirns. This carriage 12 can also be designated as a spool carriage because the wound yarn pirns 16 are spools in this case. All the holders 13 are rigidly mounted. In this embodiment, each horizontal row of holders comprises a corresponding number of holders 13 to the number of the grippers 30, that is, six holders. It is also possible to provide additional holders per row, for example, 12 or 18 holders. In this embodiment a transfer device loads the holders 13 located to the right of the longitudinal middle plane of the storage unit 12 in a cyclical manner with wound yarn pirns 16. The storage unit 12 can then be turned so that the remaining holders 13 can then be loaded with wound yarn pirns 16 by the transfer device 11 shown in the drawings. Alternatively, the other half of the holders 13 can be loaded with yarn pirns 16 by another transfer device, possibly simultaneously.

In some cases it may be advantageous for the holders 13 of adjacent rows not to be disposed vertically above one another but for the holders 13 of every second row to be horizontally offset by a half spacing with respect to the holders 13 of the other rows, that is, by half the distance between the centers of the longitudinal axes of two adjacent holders in a row of holders. In this case, it is advantageous to provide automatic means for automatically displacing the storage unit 12 by this half spacing in a horizontal direction so that the horizontal position of the transfer device 11 does not have to be changed and all the holders 13 on the relevant side of the storage unit 12 can still be automatically loaded with wound yarn pirns 16 by the transfer device 11. The means for displacing the storage unit is, in this case, a pneumatic or hydraulic piston-cylinder unit 40.

OPERATION Before a transfer operation commences, the mobile storage unit 12 is manually or automatically moved into the transfer position. The storage unit 12 includes wheels 41 which are constructed in such a way that apart from rolling over a flat floor or surface they are also adapted for movement on rails 42 as, in this preferred embodiment, these rails 42 are laid parallel to the transfer device 11. The storage unit 12 is displaced until it rests against the piston rod of the piston cylinder unit 40. The storage unit 12 can then be connected in a forcelocking manner with the piston rod of the unit 40 by a coupling, preferably by a magnetic device, so that the piston-cylinder unit 40 can displace the carriage 19 in a reciprocating movement, as determined by a half spacing of a row of holders, as described above.

At the beginning of the transfer process the carriage 19 of the transfer device 11 is located in its lowest position in which the guide track 33 occupies the position shown in phantom by dot-dashed lines 33'. The grippers 30 are located in positions in which they are suspended on the righthand side of the carriage 19 and in which they are disposed over the conveyor belt 14 in such a way that the first six yarn pirns can move under these six grippers. As soon as this has been effected, the grippers 30 are moved downwards until they have penetrated the wound yarn pirns 16 and are clamped fast in these yarn pirns 16.

In this lowest position of the carriage 19, the guide rail 33 is disposed in the position shown by lines 33' which is such that the grippers 30 can place the yarn pirns 16 which they grip onto the holders 13 of the lowest row of holders of the storage unit 12. This is effected by the grippers 30 together with the yarn pirns 16 gripped by the same first being moved vertically upwardly by displacing the chains 24 and then being moved onto the path leading downwardly on the lefthand side. On this path of motion they are turned by the guide rail 33 into the positions in alignment with the lowest row of holders and thus the yarn pirns 16 also move into this aligned position and by moving the grippers 30 the wound yarn pirns 16 are loaded onto the holders 13 of the lowest row of holders. The gripper members 32 are then disengaged so that they release the yarn pirns 16 and thereafter they are moved back in the direction of an arrow-headed line C.

In the meantime, the conveyor belt 14 has advanced sufficiently far for six new wound yarn pirns 16 to be moved into the region of the vertical path of motion of the grippers 30. These yarn pirn 16 are then gripped by the grippers 30 in the manner described above. The carriage 19 is then moved upwardly from the lowest position into the second lowest position represented in FIG. 1. In the second lowest position the grippers 30 can place the yarn pirns 16 which they grip onto the holders 13 of the second lowest row of holders in the storage unit 13. If the rows of holders are staggered in a horizontal direction with respect to each other, the storage unit 12 is first displaced by the above-mentioned half spacing by the pistomcylinder unit 40. The yarn pirns 16 are then placed on the relevant holders 13 in the above-described manner by displacing the grippers 30. The other rows of holders can then be successively loaded with yarn pirns 16, the carriage 19 being moved into its lowest position at the end of each cycle and up to the requisite level after gripping of the wound yarn pirns 16.

The foregoing description and accompanying figures of the drawing are set out by way of example, not by way of limitation. It is to be appreciated that numerous other embodiments and variants are possible within the spirit and scope of the invention, the scope being defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for transporting and storing a plurality of wound yarn packages, the apparatus including a conveying device of a textile machine on which the yarn packages can be arranged at spaced intervals from one another, the packages being conveyed by the conveying device to a transfer device which transfers them to a transportable storage unit including a plurality of holders for holding wound yarn packages at spaced intervals from one another, the transfer device operating cyclically and upon each cycle gripping by gripper means at least one yarn package which has been brought to the transfer device by the conveying device and which transfers the yarn package to a holder of the storage unit by displacing the gripper means, and control means for automatically controlling the transfer, the improvement comprising, as part of said storage unit, a plurality of rows of said holders which are arranged at different levels with their longitudinal axes inclined with respect to the vertical, and as part of said transfer device, means for both adjusting vertically and moving downwardly said gripper means towards said holders of said storage unit in an obliquely inclined direction to the vertical, this vertically inclined direction of movement corresponding to the inclination of the longitudinal axes of said holders of said storge unit.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said storage unit is a mobile spool carriage having rigid holders.

3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including a stationary positioning device, and wherein said rows of holders of said storage unit are offset with respect to each other in a horizontal direction, said storage unit being adjustable by said stationary positioning device during the transfer in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of movement of said transfer device.

4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transfer device includes a vertically adjustable carriage on which at least one of said gripper means is arranged to be vertically adjustable and moveable in the direction of said holders of said storage unit and is further rotatably arranged.

5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, including a chain drive means provided on said carriage and at least one gripper support being disposed on said carriage said at least one gripper means being pivotably arranged on said gripper support, said chain drive means having an upwardly directed path of motion above said conveying device, this path being adjoined by a path of motion parallel to the longitudinal axes of said holders of said storage unit on which yarn packages are to be placed, the path of motion being defined by at least one guide means for guiding said at least one gripper means in a parallel direction to the longitudinal axes of said holders.

6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transfer device includes a plurality of grippers arranged adjacent to each other in a horizontal row, the number of said grippers corresponding to the number of said holders in a row of holders in said storage unit. 

1. In an apparatus for transporting and storing a plurality of wound yarn packages, the apparatus including a conveying device of a textile machine on which the yarn packages can be arranged at spaced intervals from one another, the packages being conveyed by the conveying device to a transfer device which transfers them to a transportable storage unit including a plurality of holders for holding wound yarn packages at spaced intervals from one another, the transfer device operating cyclically and upon each cycle gripping by gripper means at least one yarn package which has been brought to the transfer device by the conveying device and which transfers the yarn package to a holder of the storage unit by displacing the gripper means, and control means for automatically controlling the transfer, the improvement comprising, as part of said storage unit, a plurality of rows of said holders which are arranged at different levels with their longitudinal axes inclined with respect to the vertical, and as part of said transfer device, means for both adjusting vertically and moving downwardly said gripper means towards said holders of said storage unit in an obliquely inclined direction to the vertical, this vertically inclined direction of movement corresponding to the inclination of the longitudinal axes of said holders of said storge unit.
 2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said storage unit is a mobile spool carriage having rigid holders.
 3. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, including a stationary positioning device, and wherein said rows of holders of said storage unit are offset with respect to each other in a horizontal direction, said storage unit being adjustable by said stationary positioning device during the transfer in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of movement of said transfer device.
 4. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transfer device includes a vertically adjustable carriage on which at least One of said gripper means is arranged to be vertically adjustable and moveable in the direction of said holders of said storage unit and is further rotatably arranged.
 5. An apparatus as claimed in claim 4, including a chain drive means provided on said carriage and at least one gripper support being disposed on said carriage said at least one gripper means being pivotably arranged on said gripper support, said chain drive means having an upwardly directed path of motion above said conveying device, this path being adjoined by a path of motion parallel to the longitudinal axes of said holders of said storage unit on which yarn packages are to be placed, the path of motion being defined by at least one guide means for guiding said at least one gripper means in a parallel direction to the longitudinal axes of said holders.
 6. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said transfer device includes a plurality of grippers arranged adjacent to each other in a horizontal row, the number of said grippers corresponding to the number of said holders in a row of holders in said storage unit. 